Tradin Organics enhances regenerative organic cocoa production in Sierra Leone with EU-backed project

07 Jun 2023 --- Over the next three years, Tradin Organic and its consortium of partners will work on deforestation prevention and improving cocoa farmers’ livelihoods in Sierra Leone by further building regenerative agroforestry systems. The company has initiated a €2.5 million (US$2.6 million) project supported by the European Union (EU) to scale its sustainable cocoa project in the country.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Anne Floor van Dalfsen, sustainability manager at Tradin Organic, says the company’s organic cocoa program in Sierra Leone is one of its most successful sourcing projects globally.

“The investment will be used to scale our two existing programs. In our Child Protection Program, we will set up 50 additional Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLA) to the existing 57. VSLAs are farmer-led micro-banks, where the farmers save together and loan to each other, preventing debt and allowing their children to go to school.”

“In our Agroforestry Program, we will train thousands more farmers on dynamic agroforestry with our partner Ecotop and plant over 1,000 hectares with various crops and trees,” she explains.

Tradin Sierra Leone is the biggest export of cacao in the country.These two projects will now merge, and a €1.85 million (US$1.97 million) grant from the Delegation of the EU to Sierra Leone enables the consortium to expand its work and impact.

In addition, Tradin Organic will further explore the generation of “carbon removal units,” a way in which farmers could receive a reward for the additional carbon those new trees on their farms sequester. It could offer companies with Net Zero targets an impactful way to offset their unavoidable emissions,” Van Dalfsen details.

Cocoa production in Sierra Leone 
Most cocoa is cultivated in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, using fertilizers and pesticides, but in Sierra Leone, the country grows organic cocoa for production.

Van Dalfsen believes Sierra Leone proves you “don’t need chemicals to grow great cocoa” and that natural practices are better for the soil, biodiversity, farmers and the cocoa itself.

“The agroforestry systems we are developing in Sierra Leone are designed to be in balance and resilient to climate change,” she continues. “The importance of these conditions for global cocoa production is becoming increasingly crucial, as conventional agriculture is under pressure from rising energy and input prices and increasingly affected by erosion, droughts and storms.”

Sierra Leone uses a Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) system. “Where you can see organic as ‘do no harm’ to the ecosystem, Regenerative Organic goes beyond this and requires farmers to improve soil health and biodiversity actively,” states Van Dalfsen. 

“We had to do a biodiversity assessment and take lots of soil samples and must show investment and improvement to stay certified. That’s how we build lush, productive and future-proof farms,” she outlines.

Most cocoa is cultivated in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, using fertilizers and pesticides, but in Sierra Leone, the country grows organic cocoa for production.

Notably, regenerative agriculture in Sierra Leone is crucial. “The fields aren’t producing what they could yet, and the farmers aren’t earning what they need. Much of the farmland was neglected over the past decades due to civil unrest, lack of education and training and lack of funding – and these ecosystems take time to rebuild. The only way forward is with biodiverse fields and fair prices.”

“Optimizing cocoa fields into organic agroforestry systems means there is no need to cut forest for agriculture, and it means farmers’ income and livelihoods improve, education levels rise etc. And as a business, we don’t just work in cocoa or Sierra Leone – but with hundreds of products from 60 different countries. By making improvements in as many origins as we can, we want to contribute to the resilience of our global food system,” she explains. 

Ensuring chocolate is sustainable 
Tradin Organic has previously received support from various clients, such as Navitas Organics and Herza Schokolade.

“Although not always visible to consumers, cocoa producers like Tradin are crucial in ensuring chocolate products on shelves are made fairly and sustainably. Most brands do not have direct access to farmers and rely on partners like us to source the best cocoa beans in a way that generates a positive impact on the soil, biodiversity and the farmers,” explains Van Dalfsen.

Through digitization up to the farmer’s field, the company can help brands show this impact to consumers, she adds.

Boosting productivity while protecting biodiversity 
Sierra Leone is a small exporter of cocoa compared to Ivory Coast and Ghana but unique in that it is all organic, meaning that no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used and that farmers protect the soil and biodiversity.

Tradin Organic and its partners organize sourcing, training, seedling distribution and community projects to boost productivity and livelihoods while protecting nature and biodiversity. The EU project will scale this work and explore a new income stream for the farmers from carbon sequestration credits.

Since Tradin Organic started developing its business in Sierra Leone in 2015, it has seen a steadily growing interest from organic, natural and health-focused brands and retailers across Europe and the US.

This new standard merges and goes beyond the Organic and Fairtrade standards and is backed by companies like Patagonia. With Tradin Organic’s long-term commitments and boots on the ground, customers can ensure their sourcing supports the environment and communities behind the ingredients – and consumers can buy chocolate products to feel good about.

By Elizabeth Green